TLDR#1: The investigation still didn't reveal exactly how this happened. TLDR#2: The recommendation to "prevent" these issues on the individuals side is, "Lisa’s medical community has started recommending that patients concerned about privacy not log into Facebook or other social media accounts at medical offices, or even leave their phones in their cars during appointments. " This is about as practical as recommendi…
Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
51–60 of 224 posts
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#52Earlier quoted context omitted.
The other tricky thing is, even a single lapse in forgetting to turn the phone off, or bringing it with you is enough to undo all vigilance ever. I don't see it as feasibly, especially for people that are anxious or distracted by something more important on their mind.
You know, it really says something about our industry that our preeminent modern accomplishment requires everyone to choose, blindly and unaware, among effective social nonexistence, espionage-grade opsec, or the kind of radical transparency that no one but maybe a performance artist would even have contemplated just a few years ago.
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#53Earlier quoted context omitted.
You know, it really says something about our industry that our preeminent modern accomplishment requires everyone to choose, blindly and unaware, among effective social nonexistence, espionage-grade opsec, or the kind of radical transparency that no one but maybe a performance artist would even have contemplated just a few years ago.
Yeah, I know this can get brought out a lot in these circumstances, but remember how everyone thought Richard Stallman / rms was crazy for being so disconnected from the Internet? Somehow that doesn't seem the case anymore.
It's sort of infuriating, if I'm honest. He has a lot of insight with regard to, for example, the extent to which Facebook abuses people who use it. But the best he can muster by way of response is "Well, don't do that, then, and if you do, then to hell with you." Which is, to say the least, not helpful.
Edit: And on further reflection, the insight he does have is hardly unique. The more I consider what I've heard and read him to say, the less I find myself able to see what he actually has to add to the kind of nuanced conversation which needs to take place on this subject.
Further edit: So your response, while of value, kind of misses the point I set out to make, in that Stallman's situation falls neatly into the "effective social nonexistence" category. The question I'm asking is larger, and more along the lines of: How the hell did we let our industry become something of which Facebook is the exemplar, and is this really something with which we're okay?
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#54I assume the connector is the doctor - why doesn't she have a work phone with the patient's numbers that she doesn't use Facebook on? Then the chance of patients being connected to one another is dramatically lower.
I think this issue requires action from Facebook. The minimum they should do is allow numbers to be registered to be not used for making connections. Much better would be for them to be more explicit about what information they are collecting (with sufficient guidance that the user understands that medical privacy can be affected) and allow users to not send them that information in the first place. I can't imagine them doing that voluntarily, though.
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#55TLDR#1: The investigation still didn't reveal exactly how this happened. TLDR#2: The recommendation to "prevent" these issues on the individuals side is, "Lisa’s medical community has started recommending that patients concerned about privacy not log into Facebook or other social media accounts at medical offices, or even leave their phones in their cars during appointments. " This is about as practical as recommendi…
Or have the office assistant provide a metal tin container to use as a Faraday shield. "Put your phone in the box to prevent it reporting that you're here today."
[1] (warning: strong language) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J1q4Ir2J8P8#t=2291
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#56Earlier quoted context omitted.
The main issue, which you and I both see, is the sheer asymmetry of the whole thing. We are in this weird situation where the individual, the typical cognitive miser who even on his/her best day cannot possibly take all the preventive actions, is up against tireless machines with perfect memory and ability to generate extraordinary pattern recognition working all day to mine just that little bit more information to t…
I would like to have more constructive suggestions to offer, too. It's not a simple problem, though, and it will not be quickly solved. Threatening Facebook employees (doxing people is a threat) does not seem likely to make anything better.
Developers are not sweatshop workers beholden to the company store. They have a plethora of employment options. If they willingly choose to work for such a company, the case could be made that they have made themselves legitimate targets for having made this choice.
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#57Earlier quoted context omitted.
You would be surprised just how few people know Facebook owns WhatsApp. When I mention it to my non-tech friends, they are first surprised, and then nod their heads like its no big deal, and then a few weeks later exclaim utter surprise at some new privacy intrusion. Someone should start a project with the sole purpose of mining all kinds of personal data about FB employees from Facebook/Google and publish it as a Ka…
I'm not sure what you see that helping.
Normally in a market system you want to keep the chain between cause and damage short enough to be comprehensible for the people causing it; otherwise, there's no good way to make them avoid it.
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#58I assume the connector is the doctor - why doesn't she have a work phone with the patient's numbers that she doesn't use Facebook on? Then the chance of patients being connected to one another is dramatically lower.
What's also just as likely is that patients are allowing Facebook to view the contents of their own phonebooks (which they are certainly free to do, unless of course, they're medical professionals with patient information as well...). Facebook sees that these dozen people have the same contact number, and recommends that they all friend each other.
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#59Earlier quoted context omitted.
The main issue, which you and I both see, is the sheer asymmetry of the whole thing. We are in this weird situation where the individual, the typical cognitive miser who even on his/her best day cannot possibly take all the preventive actions, is up against tireless machines with perfect memory and ability to generate extraordinary pattern recognition working all day to mine just that little bit more information to t…
I see so many potential ways of aggregating this kind of information in massively privacy intrusive ways on a day to day basis. And it's terrifying how many of them are just stopped by my lack of willingness to sacrifice my morals over it. Because I know very well how easy it is for people to think "oh, well, but that one little thing isn't so bad, when faced with bills to pay, or a raging boss. Many of which really…
Alternatively a union can put pressure companies to never ask for certain things or to meet a standard for any privacy issues. Unions are usually seen with hostility in the tech industry, but they are just another tool; a union can be made for specific purposes, and ignore e.g. wage or anything else.
Re: Facebook recommended that a psychiatrist’s patients friend each other
#60Imagine the possibilities [0]. What a wonderful world!
[0] If this were to come true, then the word "possibilities" would be replaced by "synergies" :)